One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).

I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.

I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.

Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.

When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.

“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.

Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.

Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.

45．According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones          .

A．are open   B．are usually shut       C．grow quickly    D．stop growing

46．According to Monty Maldonado,        .

A．not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone        

B．pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals

C．people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears

D．most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals

47．We can learn from the passage that on sunny days         .

A．seeds may fall out of the cones      

B．squirrels stay still in their nests      

C．it’s difficult for a seed to take root

D．the wind will put the pine trees in danger

48．In the last paragraph, the author points out that         .

A．more and more new trees need to be planted in future 

B．people should be responsible for protecting animals

C．people should be careful not to damage the pinecones  

D．squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves

49．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.  

B．The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.  

C．The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones. 

D．Pine trees are precious to animals and people.

One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).
I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.
I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.
Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.
When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.
“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.
Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.
Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.
45．According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones          .
A．are open   B．are usually shut       C．grow quickly    D．stop growing
46．According to Monty Maldonado,        .
A．not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone        
B．pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals
C．people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears
D．most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals
47．We can learn from the passage that on sunny days         .
A．seeds may fall out of the cones      
B．squirrels stay still in their nests      
C．it’s difficult for a seed to take root
D．the wind will put the pine trees in danger
48．In the last paragraph, the author points out that         .
A．more and more new trees need to be planted in future 
B．people should be responsible for protecting animals
C．people should be careful not to damage the pinecones  
D．squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves
49．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.  
B．The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.  
C．The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones. 
D．Pine trees are precious to animals and people.

One warm day when I was walking in my backyard, I saw a pinecone(松球) on the ground. I picked it up, and some seeds fell out of it. Those seeds would be a tasty treat for a squirrel (松鼠).

I realized that pinecones were not always open like this one. Sometimes cones were tightly closed. I decided to find out why.

I gathered pinecones from my backyard. I watched them for over a year. Here’s what I learned.

Pinecones open and close slowly as the weather changes. When it’s cold or wet, cones are tightly closed. This protects the seeds inside from rain and snow.

When the weather becomes warm and dry, pinecones open. On a hot day, you might even hear the sound of cones popping open. The seeds inside may then fall to the ground. The wind may blow the seeds to places where they can grow into new pine trees. A seed has a better chance of taking root and growing when the weather is warm.

“Pine seeds are an important source of food for many animals,” says Monty Maldonado. He is a pinecone expert with the United States Forest Service. He says squirrels depend on pinecone seeds for most of their meals. They spend lots of time gathering and storing the cones. Maldonado says some animals eat only the seeds from a pinecone. But red squirrels and gray squirrels will eat the whole thing.

Small animals aren’t the only creatures that eat pine seeds. Maldonado says big grizzly bears (灰熊) and people eat them, too.

Seeds inside a pinecone are important for the growth of new trees and as food for animals. It is the pinecone’s job to protect them. So take note of the pinecones you see on the ground. They hold treasures inside.

45．According to the passage, when it is rainy, cones          .

       A．are open   B．are usually shut       C．grow quickly    D．stop growing

46．According to Monty Maldonado,        .

       A．not all squirrels eat the whole pinecone        

       B．pine seeds are difficult to find for many animals

       C．people in the forest are sometimes attacked by grizzly bears

       D．most small animals depend on pinecone seeds for their meals

47．We can learn from the passage that on sunny days         .

       A．seeds may fall out of the cones      

       B．squirrels stay still in their nests      

       C．it’s difficult for a seed to take root

       D．the wind will put the pine trees in danger

48．In the last paragraph, the author points out that         .

       A．more and more new trees need to be planted in future 

       B．people should be responsible for protecting animals

       C．people should be careful not to damage the pinecones  

       D．squirrels now have few seeds to feed themselves

49．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

       A．The author learned why pinecones are not always open in the forest.  

       B．The author gathered pinecones and observed them for a month.  

       C．The author is fond of gathering and storing the cones. 

       D．Pine trees are precious to animals and people.

If you are in a town in a western country, you'll often see people walking with their dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful animal in the world. But the reason why one keeps a dog has changed Once upon a time, a man met a dog and wanted it to help him in the fight against other animals, and he found that the dog listened to him and did what he told him to. Later people used dogs for  hunting other animals, and the dogs didn't eat what they got until their master agreed. So dogs were used for driving sheep and guarding chicks. But now the people in the towns and cities do not need dogs to fight other animals. Of course they keep them to frighten thieves, but the most important reason is that people feel lonely in the city. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friends to play with. For a young wife, a dog is her child when she doesn’t have her own. For old people, a dog is also a child when their real children have grown up and left. Now people do not have to use a dog, but they keep it as a friend, just like a member of the family.

1._______are more useful than a dog in the world.

A．No other animals                        B．Some animals

C．Many animals                          D．A few animals

2.In the past, people kept dogs because dogs _________.

A．could fight against other animals            B．met the people

C．did not eat other animals                  D．helped and listened to people

3.Now people keep dogs in the cities because dogs_____.

A．fight other animals                      B．are lonely

C．are like their friends                     D．are afraid of the thieves

4.A dog can be _____.

A．a child's friend only                      B．a young woman's son

C．old people's real child                    D．everybody's friend

Animals seem to have the sense to eat when they are hungry and they do not eat more than their bodies need.It has been demonstrated（证明）that rats will, when given a choice over a period of time, prefer water with vitamins to water without vitamins even though there is no difference in taste or smell between the two water bottles.When a fragrant（香的）flavor（作料）was added to the vitamin-enriched water, the rats did seem to prefer it and kept drinking it ,even after the vitamins were switched to the clear water.In time, however, they broke the habit and went back to where the necessary vitamins were.
In a classic experiment, babies of 6 to 12 months old were placed in a cafeteria（自助） feeding arrangement, with a wide selection of baby food before them.They were given whatever food they pointed to or appeared interested in.We are told that at first they showed some unusual eating patterns, but that over a period of time they managed to select well-balanced diet.
So, in selecting food, rats and babies do seem to know and act on what's best for them.Apparently, there is a kind of “body wisdom”,  which humans soon lose.Most of us do not eat as wisely as we could.Many of our food preferences are culturally determined and influenced by long-established habits.Some people eat fox, dog and blackbirds, while we eat cows and pigs.So what people eat and how much they eat seems to be greatly influenced by what is going on around them.

1. 1.

   In the experiment on rats, a fragrant flavor was added to the rats’ drinking water to _____________ .

   1. A.
      encourage rats to drink vitamins-enriched water
   2. B.
      find out rats’ preference in flavor
   3. C.
      test whether rats know which drink is good for them
   4. D.
      demonstrate the vitamins are tasteless
2. 2.

   According to the passage ,adults eating habits differ from those of babies because_________.

   1. A.
      adults know better than babies what kind of food are good for their health
   2. B.
      adults usually cannot resist the temptation of various delicious foods
   3. C.
      adults' eating habits are closely related to the social and cultural customs
   4. D.
      adults have more choices of food than babies in eating patterns
3. 3.

   The author implied in the passage that most of us_________.

   1. A.
      eat a balanced diet
   2. B.
      choose the food that is of nutrition
   3. C.
      have the habits influenced by the surroundings
   4. D.
      like to eat the food with a fragrant flavor.
4. 4.

   As far as their eating habits are concerned, babies and rats are similar in that_________.

   1. A.
      both have the wisdom to choose a balanced diet
   2. B.
      both prefer flavored food and drink
   3. C.
      both have the same eating patterns
   4. D.
      both develop a taste for the same kinds of flavors